Topographic variation in soil erosion and accumulation determined with meteoric 10Be

• Published in: Earth surface processes and landforms Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 98 - 111
• Main Authors: Marquard, Julia, Aalto, Rolf E., Barrows, Timothy T., Fisher, Beth A., Aufdenkampe, Anthony K., Stone, John O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Accumulation; Anthropogenic factors; Beryllium; Beryllium 10; Climate change; Deposition; Erosion processes; Erosion rates; Geomorphology; Glaciation; Glaciology; Holocene; Human influences; Isotopes; Landscape; meteoric 10Be; natural soil processes; Pleistocene; Profiles; Quaternary; River basins; Rivers; Sediment; sediment accumulation; Sediments; Soil; Soil erosion; Soil profiles; Soil properties; Solifluction
• ISSN: 0197-9337; 1096-9837
• DOI: 10.1002/esp.4483

Understanding natural soil redistribution processes is essential for measuring the anthropogenic impact on landscapes. Although meteoric beryllium‐10 (10Be) has been used to determine erosion processes within the Pleistocene and Holocene, fewer studies have used the isotope to investigate the transport and accumulation of the resulting sediment. Here we use meteoric 10Be in hilltop and valley site soil profiles to determine sediment erosion and deposition processes in the Christina River Basin (Pennsylvania, USA). The data indicate natural erosion rates of 14 to 21 mm 10−3 yr and soil ages of 26 000 to 57 000 years in hilltop sites. Furthermore, valley sites indicate an alteration in sediment supply due to climate change (from the Pleistocene to the Holocene) within the last 60 000 years and sediment deposition of at least 0.5–2 m during the Wisconsinan glaciation. The change in soil erosion rate was most likely induced by changes in geomorphic processes; probably solifluction and slope wash during the cold period, when ice advanced into the mid latitudes of North America. This study shows the value of using meteoric 10Be to determine sediment accumulation within the Quaternary and quantifies major soil redistribution occurred under natural conditions in this region. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This study uses meteoric 10Be distribution with depth in soil profiles to not only determine the soil residence times and erosion rates in hilltop areas, but also to study sediment depositional processes in valley wall areas in the Christina River Basin (PA, USA).